Silver Tarnishes
by Ainnenoi Aurum
Summary: Everyone called them the 'Golden Trio'. But, as Severus Snape is about to find out, they aren't quite as golden as everyone thinks. After all, gold always stays bright. Silver would be a better word for them. After all, silver tarnishes.


A/N: This is by no means my first story. Just the first one of a decent length that I finished fully and bothered to upload. I have tons of other stuff, if any one reading this cares. Most of my Hp stuff is either one-shots or abandoned. This could be continued, but it's staying as a one=shot for now. If you want to get it, just contact me. :pant: Okay, I really have to learn to breathe while typing. it's weird but I keep forgetting to breathe. Just another weirdness to write down. Yay!

Disclaimer: I don't see why this is needed. I mean, we all know that this is a _fan_fiction site, right? Oh, well, beauracrats are idiots like that. Regardless, I don't own Harry Potter and never will. Well, unless I fall through a rabbit hole back in time and take up the false identity of J.K. Rowling, but how likely is that? Really, I'm an idiot. ON WITH THE STORY!

* * *

Severus Snape, Potions Master of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Spy for the Order of the Phoenix and Resident Greasy Git of the Dungeons, awoke with a groan. He felt himself being held upright by manacles and quickly took stock of his last memories. He remembered walking through the dungeons when a whispered word and a jet of black-purple light came rushing at him before the black swallowed up his mind.

What had happened? That was a seriously Dark spell, one no student should know, nor be able to cast, from lack of power at the least! There were only two students who would be able to cast that spell, should they be so inclined. Potter, the Golden Brat-Who-Lived, while arrogant and impudent, was quite powerful, but utterly dedicated to the Light. The spell was far too Dark for Potter's palate. The other was Severus's godson, Draco Malfoy, and he adored Severus. What possible reason could he have to cast such a spell on him?

Something moved in the shadows to the far left. Severus jerked his head over towards the movement, but let his head fall back with a moan of pain. A dull throbbing was splitting his head open at the temple. How had he been so occupied in _who_ had cast the spell that he forgot about _what_ it did? The spell would paralyze him for as long as the caster wished, causing pain when he did not remain utterly still.

A grim chuckle reached his ears. Three shadows detached from their niche in the dank dungeon, gliding forwards until they were directly in front of them. One of them snaked a delicate, feminine hand out to grip his chin and raise his head. Severus blocked the pain with all the practice of a master Occlumens, so that, when his head was raised, he was not looking at the shadow with pain-filled eyes, but rather, defiant, ebony black eyes.

This shadow giggled. This giggle held more than a hint of madness within it. A fearful shiver made its way down Severus's spine. That giggle sounded far too much like Bellatrix Lestrange, the sadistic, genius woman who always laughed that way just before she tried out some new torture on the Muggles.

The shadow turned to one of its fellows and asked, with a musically insane lilt to its-_her_ voice, "Do you think you might have overdone it, Ohanzee? He was supposed to wake almost an hour ago! You promised me he would wake up and we could _play_ with him! Can we play yet, Ohanzee?"

The shadow sighed. "Very well, Lilitu. But, let us introduce ourselves and our den to the good professor, shall we?"

The third shadow spoke up. "Oh, oh, can I go first? Pleeeeaaaseeee, Ohanzee?"

"Very well, Erebos. You may introduce yourself first."

The shadow indicated stepped forward a little, into the single torch burning by Severus's head, the shadows around its head dissolving revealing the face of... Ronald Weasley!? But, this wasn't the Weasley Severus knew. This one had a...a cruelness to his features that Severus had never seen on it before.

"Hello, _Professor_." A lesser man would have flinched at the coolness in Weasley's voice. "I am Erebos, Brother To The Night, more commonly known as Ronald Weasley in this day and age."

The second shadow faded forward, hood thrown back. Severus stifled a gasp. Granger's features were filled with an inhuman beauty, even Severus would (grudgingly) admit it. What startled him more though, was the unholy glee that filled her expression.

"I am Lilitu, Storm of the Night, known in this day and age as Hermione Granger." Her voice was lilting, taunting Severus to respond, as she knew he dearly wished to. Severus refused to give this insane version of Granger the satsifaction.

Lilitu pouted. "Fine, be that way. Oh, Ohanzee," the madwoman called, "can you come out and show our _dear _guest exactly who he is dealing with?"

A dark chuckle sounded from all around Severus. The man shuddered. Somehow, that one chuckle terrified him far more than anything Voldemort had done to him in the past decade or so.

The last shadow faded forward to reveal...

"Potter!" Snape hissed, "So, the Golden Trio, as they're calling it these days, has turned to the Dark side? How fitting. I always knew you were a spineless coward, just like your father!" Severus would have continued, but a slap from Weas-_Erebos_ knocked his train of thought right out of his head.

"Don't speak that way of Ohanzee!" Erebos hissed, venom dripping from his every word. Potter raised a hand to still Erebos.

"Hush, Erebos. Let me finish the introductions before we begin to..._play_ with our guest. I am Ohanzee. I am the Night, and all that embodies it. You know me as Harry Potter. And welcome to our home. Formerly known as the Chamber of Secrets. Also, you said that we are known as the Golden Trio? We prefer to think of ourselves as silver. I believe that Lilitu can explain."

Lilitu grinned happily, exposing sharpened canines. (How had he never noticed that before?) "Gold is known for its inability to tarnish. It will forever stay as bright and shiny as the day it was dug from the earth. Silver, however-"

"-tarnishes," Erebos continued from Severus' other side, "It will stay shiny for a while, but then, slowly, it darkens, eventually becoming-"

"-black," Ohanzee finished from right in front of Severus. The other two gathered beside and behind him as all three drew forward. "So, while we may have, at one point-"

"-been bright and naive-" Lilitu as her eyes flickered with some emotion Severus couldn't quite place immediately. Sorrow, perhaps?

"-the lack of care from people around us-" Erebos, drawing too close for Severus' comfort.

"-turned us Dark, and awakened our past lives. Now, you are the first in the dawning of this new Age." Ohanzee was staring Severus in the eyes, but a sharp slash of pain, followed by a burning heat in his side, jerked Severus' attention to the side.

Lilitu grinned as she licked ruby blood off a glowing knife, brown eyes bleeding red. "An Age of terror and fear. Led by three rulers, more vicious-"

Suddenly Severus couldn't feel his right hand anymore. His head whipped around, and Erebos was wielding a butcher's knife in one hand, and a dripping hand in the other. "-than Voldemort could ever hope to be."

"Welcome, Severus Snape, to the Age of Twilight, led by the Silver Trio." The three chorused, eerily in sync.

Severus Snape screamed as three demons streaked forward and the world became a haze of pain.

* * *

I got this idea from something I read, about how silver is less valuable than gold, not because it's more common, but because it doesn't tarnish. And everyone calls them the _Golden_ Trio, right? One thing led to another, and here we are. One Silver Trio.


End file.
